TERRY COLLEGE HOSTS MINORITY HIGH SCHOOL RESIDENCY PROGRAM TO EXPOSE STUDENTS TO CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN ACCOUNTING

ATHENS, Ga. — The J.M. Tull School of Accounting in the Terry College of Business, in conjunction with the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA), is hosting the second annual Minority High School Residency Program at the University of Georgia. The program is in session from July 9-12.

The program, established last year with an $8,500.00 grant from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to the Minority Issues Committee of the GSCPA, aims to inform, promote, and encourage minority high school students to consider careers in the accounting profession. This year's program is funded by industry-paid sponsorships at $250 per student.

Mark Dawkins, a member of the Minority Issues Committee and an accounting professor at the Terry College, is the on-campus coordinator of the high school program. He and Carol Couch, a past member services director of the GSCPA, were instrumental in getting the program started last year.

"Through my involvement with the Ph.D. Project [a program that recruits minority faculty], as well as my experience as a teacher for the past 10 years, I saw a need to expose minority students to career opportunities in accounting at an earlier age," Dawkins said. "It is critical to reach the students while they are thinking about career options during their senior year of high school."

"Lack of exposure to career opportunities in accounting is not limited to minority students. The AICPA, GSCPA, national, regional, and local accounting firms want to expose more students, in general, to the numerous career opportunities available with a degree in accounting. Programs such as the Minority High School Residency Program represent part of the effort to enlighten students," Dawkins said.

Eighteen Georgia students recommended by their high school counselors are participating in this year's program. For three days the students will live in a residence hall, attend classes and seminars, and eat at a campus dining hall. Sessions in this year's program include an accounting overview, an ethics workshop, lessons in identifying and applying to colleges, a career skills/interest test, a résumé writing/interviewing skills workshop, a technology workshop, an accounting research workshop, and an accounting case project workshop.

Speakers will include Terry College faculty members and representatives of sponsor firms. Visiting professionals also will attend breakfast, lunch and dinner sessions to give students an opportunity to interact with practicing accountants and better understand what accountants do.

The companies and accounting firms sponsoring students at this year's Minority High School Residency Program at the Terry College are: Ernst and Young, Thomas Concrete of Georgia, Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc., Arthur Andersen, KPMG, AFC Enterprises, Porter Keadle Moore, Tarpley and Underwood PC, Kanta K.R. Koundour CPA, and Richard H. Stern CPA.

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